Working with the ARISE team from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Phase Nepal, Luke devised and delivered a workshop with a women’s community group in Khudi Khola informal settlement, Pokhara, Nepal. The main form of employment for most people living in the village is selling gravel and boulders from the river, which they have to carry up the steep banks in baskets carried on their backs.
The women wrote down their hopes and dreams for their future, as well as the problems and difficulties faced by their community. Their problems include cast and sex discrimination, access to health and education services, flooding, poor roads and basic registration of their existence as an informal settlement by the authorities.
Their words were turned into imagery which then formed stencils used to decorate umbrellas. The umbrellas were then paraded by the group through the streets to local Nepalese music. All the tools, torches, art materials and umbrellas were donated to the community after the event. The children were delighted to be given pens and pencils to help with their schoolwork. There was a great cheer at the end, when we let the women’s group know we were also gifting them the sound system we used for the parade as well!
Supporting Development
The workshop allowed us to collect information on the communities difficulties and opportunities, as well as for the group to get to know our team. The Jerram Foundation is now allocating funds, to deliver practical improvements in their community and two other informal settlements in Pokhara, which will be implemented by the community living there. Plans include building an extension to the community centre, purchasing sports equipment for a school, initiating construction of a new building for the women’s group, purchasing catering equipment for large events (which can also be rented out).
Read illustrated Blog about the visit to this community and the other two in Pokhara.
See illustrated slide show about life in the informal settlements of Nepal through the ARISE website.